Heron Info

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius) is the largest and most widely distributed heron in Canada. During the breeding and post-breeding seasons it ventures as far north as Newfoundland and Prince William Sound in Alaska, and as far south as Mexico and the West Indies. Herons leave most of Canada for the winter, the exception being the British Columbia coast, where herons reside all year round. They also winter across the United States and south to Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Distinctive Features

On the ground, adult specimens stand over 1 metre in height. the head is white with a black stripe on each side extending back from the yellow eyes to slender black plumes. The back is greyish blue and the breast is white streaked with black. In flight, the neck is doubled back and the head rests against the shoulders. Herons in their first year have grey crowns and grey wing flecked with brown.